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Schools

Board OKs Continuation of Full-Day Kindergarten Pilot Program

Also learns that state funding might be restored

The Bensalem school board Wednesday approved the continuation of a pilot full-day kindergarten program.

The decision came amid word that lost state funding, which had put the local program in jeopardy, might be restored.

Prior to the 7-0 board approval (Sherri Underland and Wayne Lewis were absent), Superintendent Bill Gretzula and business manager Jack Myers said a state House proposal approved Tuesday would restore $272,868 in Accountability Block Grant funding to the .

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The full-day kindergarten program, begun in 2007-2008, has been funded by the state's ABG program. But the proposed state budget had eliminated that funding. As a result, there was much discussion of whether the pilot program should be continued with $240,000 of local funds, which have been included in the district's proposed budget.

Over the last several months, the board had heard and expressed nothing but support for the program. In most cases, Gretzula has said, district students who have taken part in full-day classes have exited kindergarten with double the grade and progress as those still in half-day classes. In addition, he has said, full-day classes help children with their social development and the district is able to gather more data to identify students' special needs.

Find out what's happening in Bensalemwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The only criticism of the program is that it is not available to all students. Rather, a lottery is used to fill one full-day class at each of the district's six elementary schools, with a total of 120 students. Another 260 youngsters are left in half-day classes.

Board President Heather Nicholas said Wednesday that discrepancy needs to be eliminated after the 2011-2012 school year.

“We need to either do it or not do it (at all),” she said.

Gretzula previously said he would have preferred to expand the program for all students whose parents think they are ready but he could live with the pilot program in its current form, given the financial constraints.

On Wednesday, the superintendent told Patch that even if the state funding is restored, it would happen too late to expand the program for the next school year. He said restored state funding would be used for the program with the other local funds now earmarked for full-day kindergarten shifted for other use.

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